Heel.



L. H. SHAW.

HEEL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1908.

1,015,846. V Patented Jan.30,1912.

W'TA ESSES' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LINUS H. SHAW, OF BROCK'ION, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF EATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

HEEL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LINUS H. SHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at- Brockton, in the county'of Plymouth and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Heels, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to heels for boots or shoes.

Heel lifts for use in building heels are generally cut from residue stock resulting from cutting more valuable parts from a hide, such as soles, toplifts, etc. The stock which is thus employed for heel lifts is the outer edge portion of the hide and diminishes gradually in thickness toward said outer edge. In cutting lifts from such stock it is customary to die them out with their curved ends facing the outer or thin edge of the stock, consequently it is found that heel lifts generally taper slightly in thickness from their breast edges toward their rear ends. l/Vhile the taper of a single lift is slight, a heel built up from a number of such lifts may obviously have a considerably greater height at the breast than at the rear. To avoid this effect the expedient has been adopted in some cases of evening the lifts either before or after they are died out. This results, however, in a considerable waste of leather, as the refuse from such an operation is of little or no value. In other cases wedge lifts tapering in thickness toward the breast edge have been built into heels to correct this fault.

Not only is there frequent occasion to increase the height of the heel at the rear for the reason stated, but also it is often desired to give a heel an even greater height at the rear than at the breast. For example, this may be occasioned by the contour of the last employed, since longitudinal curvature of the sole of the last at the heel may render desirable a greater height in the heel at the rear than at the breast, in order to bring the tread face of the heel in line with the tread of the forep-art. An increased height of the rear of a heel with relation to the breast may also be desired from other considerations, as where it is required to increase the height of the heel of a boot or shoe without Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 2, 1908.

Patented Jan. 30,1912.

Serial No. 436,234.

altering the last originally designed for that boot or shoe. Heretofore, wherever it has been desired to secure a greater height at the rear of a heel than at its breast a wedge lift has been generally used. v

The wedge lifts employed for either of the purposes above stated usually extend over the entire area of the heel and are commonly produced by skiving oif full sized lifts. This obviously involves considerable waste and renders their production expensive. Moreover, the use of wedge lifts detracts somewhat from the quality of the heels in which they are used, and it is preferred to manufacture heels, if possible, from lifts of ordinary thickness. It will also be understood that if wedge lifts are to be used it is practically required that they be assembled with the other lifts during the heel building operation.

To the end that a heel may be evened longitudinally in height, or given an increased height at the rear, as the case may be, the present invention contemplates the provision of a rand diminishing in height from its curved end toward its breast end and secured to the heel seat face of a heel. The rand thus not only has the usual function of a rand, but also secures the effect of building up the rear of the heel, dispensing with the expedients heretofore used for this purpose. Bands are usually secured to heels in a distinct operation performed subsequently to the heel-building operation, so that by using rands embodying the present invention the building operation may be performed without regard to the relative height of the breast and the rear of a heel. The desired relation between the height of the breast and the height of the rear may be secured after the product-ion of'the heel blanks by the use of rands having a longitudinal taper suitable to produce the effect desired.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a strip of stock having aeontour suitable to produce a rand tapering in thickness toward the breast. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rand shown in Fig. 1 bent into U shape. Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the rand shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a pieced rand embodying the present invention. Fig.

5 is a view in side elevation partly in section of a heel which has been evened in height by the use of a rand embodying my invention. Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of a heel the height of which has been rendered greater at the rear than at the breast by means of a rand embodying my invention, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the heel shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings I have shown in Fig. 1 a rand strip diminishing in thickness from its middle portion toward each end, and tapering transversely to a thin edge. This strip when bent or turned into U shape, as shown in Fig. 2, forms a rand 1 diminisl'iing in height from its curved end 3, to its breast ends 2, a. The longitudinal taper of the turned and is clearly shown in Fig. 3. As is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the rand is of uniform width throughout its length. The rand strip shown in Fig. 1 has at its middle part a portion el l which is of uniform thickness longitudinally of the strip. This may be desired on account of the fact that in its final shape the rand is bent more at the curved end than at the sides so that to secure a uniform taper of the U shaped rand the middle portion of the straight rand strip should taper longitudinally less abruptly than the end portions.

As is well known, the purpose of a rand is to cause the heel to fit the convexity of the sole. It is secured to the heel seat face of a heel after the heel has been built. In securing it to a heel the metal fastenings which are driven through the rand should be located a suflic ient distance from the edge of a heel to insure that they will not be in the path of the cutter in the heel trimming operation. The rand embodying the present invention is accordingly of a width throughout its length sufficient to secure this end. It is desirable, moreover, that the breast ends 2 be of a width as great as other parts of the rand, since it is these parts which are most liable to become subsequently displaced before the heel is attached to a shoe. It is impractical to place the rand attaching tacks in close proximity to the breast edge of the heel, on account of the liability of hitting them in the breasting operation. The rands shown are therefore of substantially uniform width throughout their length.

Fig. 7 shows clearly the manner in which a rand embodying the present invention is attached to a heel. It will be seen that since the rand is tacked to the heel seat face of the heel it may be applied at any time prior to attaching the heel to the shoe. I regard this feature of particular importance, since it permits the relative height of the breast and the rear of a heel to be deternlined subsequently to the building operation.

I have shown in Fig. 4 a rand constructed of two overlapping sections 5. Each of these sections tapers in thickness from its middle toward each end and it will be seen that when combined as shown they produce a rand diminishing in height from its curved end toward its breast ends.

It will be understood that rands embodying the present invention may be constructed in other ways and that the rands shown in this application are merely examples of devices embodying the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is l. The combination of a heel comprising a plurality of superposed lifts which taper from one end to the other and a rand extending from end to end of said heel and tapered in the reverse direction.

2. The combination of a heel comprising a plurality of superposed lifts which taper from breast to rear and a rand fastened to.

the heel seat face and tapering from the rear to the breast of said heel.

3. The combination with a heel, the thickness of which increases from one end to the other of a rand of substantially uniform width fast to said heel, the thickness of said rand decreasing in a direction opposite to that of the heel.

4. The combination with. a heel, the thickness of which decreases from one end to the other, of a rand secured to said heel, the thickness of said rand decreasing in a direction opposite to that of the heel.

5. The combination with a heel, the thickness of which decreases from breast to rear, of a rand secured to said heel, the thickness of the rand decreasing from the rear to breast, and the combined thickness of said heel and rand being greater at the rear than at the breast.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LINUS H. SHAWV. lVitnesses:

BERNARD Bannows, ALLAN H. BARROWS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

i [t is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,01-5,8-,t6, granted Jamiary 30, 1912, upon the application of Linus H. Shaw, of Brockton, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Heels, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 91, for the word increases read decreases; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of March, A. D., 1912.

[SEAL] I r C. C. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

